Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

K-League XIvs.SpursTottenham Hotspur

sportsmole.co.uk, 29 July 2024, 18:45
Continuing their pre-season preparations in Asia, Tottenham Hotspur will pit their wits against a K-League XI on Wednesday night in Seoul.

The hosts have an array of the top players from throughout the K-League, whilst the Lilywhites are likely to name a strong XI against their Asian opponents.

Match preview

Following a promising first season in charge at the North London club, Ange Postecoglou is aiming to compete for major honours as Tottenham head coach during the 2024-25 campaign, with the Lilywhites only managing a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last term.

Spurs have commenced their pre-season schedule in empathic fashion, recording four straight wins over Cambridge United, Hearts, Queens Park Rangers and Vissel Kobe on Saturday night, when Pedro Porro, Son Heung-min and Mikey Moore all got onto the scoresheet for the visitors.

Plotting to break into Postecoglou's first-team thinking this season, 16-year-old Moore has impressed massively so far over the summer, also finding the net against Scottish Premiership side Hearts at Tynecastle.

The Lilywhites will be aiming to record their second win over a K-League XI after their trip to South Korea in July 2022, when the Premier League side smashed their hosts 6-3.

Following Wednesday's clash, Spurs will face German giants Bayern Munich twice over the space of eight days before a top-flight opener at the King Power Stadium against newly-promoted Leicester City on August 17.

After failing to beat either Barcelona, Juventus or Spurs in previous forms, the K-League XI produced a remarkable win over La Liga side Atletico Madrid this time last year, condemning Diego Simeone's troops to a 3-2 defeat.

All of the hosts' strikes arrived during the course of a pulsating second half, meaning that goals from Thomas Lemar and Carlos Martin were not enough to claim any bragging rights for the Spaniards.

During their most recent loss, the K-League XI were battered 6-3 by Spurs two years ago, when Son, Harry Kane and Eric Dier were all on the scoresheet, with the former the only remaining member of that trio in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur friendly form:

Team News

Scoring a hat-trick in the 7-2 smashing of Cambridge at the start of pre-season, Brennan Johnson appears to be in good form this summer and could start on Wednesday.

Summer arrival Archie Gray has been earning rave reviews for his performance so far for the Lilywhites, with the former Leeds United man set to feature once again here.

Lucas Bergvall is another young talent who will be hoping to make major waves in the first team this season, and the Swede is set to provide the creative spark against the K-League XI.

Jesse Lingard was named in the initial K-League XI squad but has been forced to pull out of contention for the Spurs clash due to injury.

At just 17 years of age, attacker Yoon Do-young is being described as a prodigy by some South Korean outlets and could play a major part against the Premier League visitors.

K-League XI possible starting lineup:

In-jae Hwang; Mun-ki Hwang, Park, Italo, Jeong; Yoon, Oberdan, Cesinha, Anderson; Iljutcenko, Tuci

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Royal, Gray, Davies; Sarr, Bissouma, Johnson, Maddison, Son; Kulusevski

We say: K-League XI 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur

With a number of top players pulling out of the squad, the K-League XI are set to struggle against top-class Premier League opposition on Wednesday night.

Tottenham have been firing in the goals so far this pre-season, and we see no reason why that trend cannot continue in Seoul against the K League's best.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.